Manchester Man

Eric Kennington 1888 - 1960

Summary

Portrait of the head of a young man wearing a British soldier's helmet with chin strap. The subject is facing to the right. There is little background detail. It was never Kennington's intention to depict the true horror and tragedy of the Western Front. He simply felt unequal to the task. His brief was to draw, from direct observation, ordinary soldiers from the ranks. This was not easy, as officers did not always grant permission. Kennington suspected few artists were of use to propaganda, but was convinced his duty lay in depicting British soldiers in their truest and noblest aspect. His portaits were vetted by the official censor and the names of his subjects removed before the drawings were sent to London. Kennington complained bitterly about this censorship, but officials considered the drawings to be 'good propaganda'. In a war in which millions of men had been mobilised, the motivation and commitment of the individual mattered.